23 traps filled with weird science

[ectobabble]

Hey! Uh, I'd put a filter up, but honestly it'd be really super-crazy-broad anyway, and I might as well just tell you all ...

I'm gonna be bringing my PKE meter outside today, and taking some readings of the old, original Dead Zone border from like, five years ago. Zelman was nice enough to give me a really good map of where the edge of everything used to be, and I was hoping I could find some sort of residual energy signature left over from when the borders shifted - kind of like the rings in a tree.

So, if anyone's interested in helping me collect some data, meet me out by the duck pond and we'll get this thing organized! I have one other PKE meter if anyone wants to help me take readings...

[and true to his word, he'll be waiting out by the duck pond in his ghostbusting coveralls, a sheaf of carefully-made copies of Zelman's map tucked in his journal in its harness, one PKE meter hanging from his belt, and the other in his hand. let's solve some mysteries, gang!]

Comments

[ectobabble]

Why, what's your loss?

[hellshaped]

Ha. I can't get drunk. [He shrugs.] You know. Not for lack of trying.

[ectobabble]

Oh, man. That sucks. I'm sorry! [he makes a face - he really IS sorry] All the crap this place throws at us --

At least it still tastes right, yeah? The booze, I mean. My friend Xander, when he was here? Everything he tried to eat tasted like tuna. So if you think of it that way, I guess, it could really still be worse.

1/2

[hellshaped]

[He shrugs again, grinning a little.] Sure, it tastes like booze. But you know what ... when it doesn't get you drunk, booze tastes pretty bad.

[hellshaped]

[LMAO WAIT]

-- did you say tuna? What the hell, this god damn castle ...

[ectobabble]

Yeah, I know right? Of all the random stuff to make everything taste like.

[hellshaped]

It's straight-up bizarre is what it is. [he shakes his head] I wonder if the castle is just being puppeted by a crazy person sometimes.

[ectobabble]

Y'don't have to be a person to be crazy. [he chuckles] But, yeah, I've thought pretty much the same thing.

[hellshaped]

Hopefully we'll find out someday. Sooner than later, preferably.

Alright -- why don't we get started? I've never seen anything like that before back home. [he gestures at the PKE meter]

[ectobabble]

Yeah, sure! Here, I'll give you a crash course in how it works. [he sidles up next to him so he can see the meter and its dials] This bottom line, here? That's castle baseline, which is a level I can set with this dial here -- it gives a point of comparison to how much energy the castle usually puts out on a quiet, relatively normal day. This top line here, this is our actual current reading.

[and since he's standing next to Hellboy? yeah, we're definitely up past baseline.]

[hellshaped]

[whoops ... Hellboy notices that for sure, and glances sidelong at Ray.]

I think I'm contaminating your results.

[ectobabble]

That's okay! If you're gonna be near someone with a meter, they can adjust the baseline to accomodate. Kinda like putting a tare weight on a scale for a container.

[hellshaped]

Huh. Well, alright. We only use thermal cameras and tape recorders where I'm from ... that sort of thing. Is this kind of tech normal for your Earth?

[ectobabble]

The meters and the packs? No, Egon and I invented those. We use thermals and recorders, too, but this is just the next level up!

[hellshaped]

And you're a private company? So is the place I used to work for, though we did a lot of contract work for the government when I was there. They never funded us the kind of money we'd need to make equipment like this.

[He's peering over at the PKE again, super curious about it.]

[ectobabble]

Yeah, we didn't get funding either, exactly. I ... had to take out three mortgages against my parents' house they left me.

[hellshaped]

[A LOOK.] You're kidding.

[ectobabble]

Nope. Columbia pulled our funding because they thought we were a bunch of fakes, so that was the only option we had.

[hellshaped]

[rubbing at his chin] That's rough. I ...

[wait ...] It is real, right? On your Earth, I mean. You have real ghosts.

[ectobabble]

[taking a play from Venkman's book, Ray jumped up and swatted Hellboy on the head - though much lighter than his friend would have] Yes, they're real! Why would I try to scam people like that?!

[hellshaped]

[oh, PFFFTT hellboy flinches at that! rude.]

No, no, I didn't mean you scammed them, I was just ... making sure ...

[making sure you're not delusional, that is! ha ha ha.]

[ectobabble]

... Sorry. [he backs down, instantly contrite] I just - I'm used to a lot of people back home treating us like Victorian parlor shysters, yanno?

[hellshaped]

[he smirks a little at that, nodding slowly.] We got some of that, working for the Bureau. One look at me, though ... and they sort of changed their tune.

[ectobabble]

Well, I can see why. ... No offense, of course.

[hellshaped]

Ha. It's okay. Not everybody can handle my rugged good looks, I know.